BRATTLEBORO — A man was shot dead by police Friday morning as authorities attempted to execute a court-ordered search warrant in Room 301 at the America’s Best Inn at 959 Putney Road.

According to Vermont State Police, the search warrant was obtained as part of an on-going drug investigation and, during the initial entry of the room, a Brattleboro Police officer fired his weapon and struck the man at roughly 5:40 a.m.

Susan Smallheer did a full story in the Saturday 4/5/14 issue of the Herald. Paywall-crashing fairies must be catching a few well deserved zzz’s on the job. Or, out flatter than a flapjack crashing other paywalls. I suspect they’re a small elite group of Bling Berets & spread rather thin. Or, ran out of pixie dust. So many paywalls – so little time.

There was reportedly a witness.

[State police Maj. Glenn Hall] “… declined to say whether a weapon was found in the room” [..]A woman behind the desk at the hotel declined to identify herself or comment about the shooting[..]

So, who was this witness besides LE, someone in the room?

Kept in windowless basement interrogation cell, flashlight in eyes, given copious benzo-laced glasses of water until story matched official scrubbed version before details were released? One can only hope that’s not the case. Desk clerk has “no comment”, muzzled? Four frikkin days hence, now the story is trickling out??? I see the Liecester police shooting was all over the news with hapless-looking suspect’s mugshot now everywhere.

Hope I’m wrong, but pls forgive if so, but we’ve seen this movie rerun too many times.

Perhaps a valid reason for the days-long wait but as another commenter said in a version of the story — ‘when the dead victim is armed the story usually comes out quick’. Nope, in that case it’s high-fives & fist-bumps — he’s a hero! None of this “we need to give the LE officer & family time to deal with it” which was the reason given in Susan’s story – like the cop is the victim. From Herald story and I quote:

“It’s a tragic event for all involved “for officers and officer’s families”

Jesus H Christ.

Yep, in a NY minute, usually full-court press with breaking news presser complete with top spokes-cop flanked with other grim-faced & oh-so solemn LE in full uniform as all dogs prefer to run pack-style.

I always hope to get or have it wrong, that there will come a day when LE will do their job & simply enforce the law w/o the ever-growing “collateral” wounding & killing of our fellow Vermonters.

Brattleboro was also the scene of the crime in the senseless killing of a distraught mentally ill man in crisis:

SS is an outstanding reporter & journalist but still I miss Dan Barlow:

Brattleboro settles suit in church shooting

By DANIEL BARLOW Southern Vermont Bureau | June 01,2006

BRATTLEBORO – The town has negotiated a settlement to end a wrongful-death civil lawsuit from the family of a Bellows Falls man killed by police in a church in 2001[..]

US District judge & serial justice-swerver Murtha also on hand to put the kibosh on it before the family finally received justice.

The case was rejected twice by U.S. District Court Judge John Murtha and went to the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City earlier this year

The crime & scene – emphasis:

Woodward, 37, disrupted morning services at the church and told parishioners he was seeking sanctuary from the government. The peace activist and social worker warned of various conspiracies and threatened suicide with a knife, witnesses said.

He was shot seven times by Brattleboro officers Marshall Holbrook and Terrance Parker, who said he made a threatening movement toward them with the knife.

Yes, true, a jacknife is in fact a “knife”. Two officers unable to club him, or even muscle him??? Seven frikking times??? Once is never enough??? So, if he’s still breathing, the peace activist was obviously an imminent threat. Please. If one believes this I say, go smoke another one.

And whaddaya know, “true to the Blue” VT AG Billy Sorrell, rules it a “justified” use of force. Really???

Vermont Attorney General William Sorrell cleared the officers of any wrongdoing, calling the shooting “tragic, but justified.”

So who are the real criminals, killers & promoters of “gun violence” in VT? Due to the fraction of residents who are involved with gun crimes, we don’t need Sherlock here. We have ppl pulling hard time in the Graybar Hotel with nothing more to their name than three hots & a cot for far less. The current cost is unaffordable as well as unsustainable, yet LE kills routinely with impunity & de facto immunity.

BRATTLEBORO — Tracy Shriver, Windham County State’s Attorney, announced Wednesday her office will not be reviewing an investigation report on the death of Michael J. Santiago, 35, of Brattleboro, who was shot and killed by a Brattleboro Police Officer just before 6 a.m. on April 4.

Many pertinent stories are paywalled or require accounts. Although Herald’s Susan Smallheer seems to have the most complete & comprehensive info & stories first, they usually find their way into the Reformer in some form.

Herald had this on their website:

Southern Vermont – Brattleboro officer in shooting to be interviewed next week by state police

BRATTLEBORO — Just before noon on Friday, the Vermont State Police issued a press release identifying the officer who fired his weapon during a drug raid killing Michael J. Santiago, 35, of Brattleboro, at America’s Best Inn on Putney Road on April 4.

So as a former Brattleboro resident I have been “trying” to follow this story. It is now some two weeks later and we still don’t know squat. We were given the officers name and nothing more no details of his weapon if he had one. However I think its painfully obvious he was unarmed.

The Police shooting an unarmed man in Vermont has become commonplace and disgust for it should be felt by all with any shred of humanity. However the woefully scant reporting on what should be a major story is just as disgusting. How the fuck can the police shoot and a kill a man and then keep the lid on the details this long??

Call me crazy paranoid whatever but I have a feeling the media has been asked to back off while they try to figure out how the get out of the shitstorm that will ensue if the real story gets out. If this happened over by Burlington there would be news vans camped out daily.

Kept in windowless basement interrogation cell, flashlight in eyes, given copious benzo-laced glasses of water until story matched official scrubbed version before details were released? One can only hope that’s not the case.

Keene Sentinel has some stories @ sentinelsource.com but you have tyo have an account. Reformer is owned by a media group magnate Singleton, so if there was any muzzling it would have to come from him or henchpersons. Headquartered & printed in Pittsfield MA where there may be a honcho or two. VPR will certainly not be muzzled but next to nothing. However Rutland Herald gets the Gold Star & Susan Smallheer has covered it extensively. Found this, unsure if it’s still valid:

added emphasis:

I’m simply trying to tell you that during this trying time in Vermont, the Rutland Herald and Barre Montpelier Times Argus is offering free access to the digital versions of the paper. Yep, free. Just enter the PROMO CODE: RH0829.

Website also has a news feed on the right covered by their reporters — sometimes they will link to a story that is paywalled:

rutlandherald.com

of what likely happened based on reality, from above comments:

So, who was this witness besides LE, someone in the room?

Kept in windowless basement interrogation cell, flashlight in eyes, given copious benzo-laced glasses of water until story matched official scrubbed version before details were released? One can only hope that’s not the case.

Keene Sentinel has some stories @ sentinelsource.com but you have tyo have an account. Reformer is owned by a media group magnate Singleton, so if there was any muzzling it would have to come from him or henchpersons. Headquartered & printed in Pittsfield MA where there may be a honcho or two. VPR will certainly not be muzzled but next to nothing. However Rutland Herald gets the Gold Star & Susan Smallheer has covered it extensively. Found this, unsure if it’s still valid:

added emphasis:

I’m simply trying to tell you that during this trying time in Vermont, the Rutland Herald and Barre Montpelier Times Argus is offering free access to the digital versions of the paper. Yep, free. Just enter the PROMO CODE: RH0829.

Perhaps today is the day the wall of silence will come down? Ehh… probably not. This must really be a monumental fuck up I kinda half expect at this point to hear the guy got shot in the back or something and a murder indictment for the shooter has been issued. Am I wrong here about thinking that police chiefs, captains etc. always run to the media defending their officers actions even when they are caught on video murdering, beating etc.? I have seen no such statements from any agency involved. This is so screwy.

Monday will mark the one month anniversary of the shooting of what appears to be an unarmed male in a Brattleboro hotel with a witness to the incident reportedly in the room. Hotel was surrounded by rescue including ambulances prior to the execution of search warrant & initial reason for the LE action.

LE has failed to respond to questions by the public re the incident or hold any type of news briefing or press conference, unless I’ve missed something.

Though under investigation, I see no reason for the silence other than LE is the guilty party here. One month appears to be ample time to complete or at the very least, update the public.